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THE
LAKOTA SIOUX: THE BRAVEST AMERICANS
(27.12.2007) And So It Begins: In an incredible irony, the very
people that the United States have most oppressed throughout our
history may hold the key to freedom for all of us.

Kenya:
Moi Asked to Broker Peace in Kuresoi
(21.12.2007) The Ogiek have asked former President Moi to help
broker peace in Kuresoi and resolve land-related problems across the
country. Ogiek Welfare Council coordinator Joseph Kimaiyo said Mr
Moi was peace mediator in the Sudan conflict and understood local
problems.

U.S.
military's Africa command alarms aid workers
(13.12.2007) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mary Yates is deputy to the
commander of the U.S. military's new Africa Command. But she has no
stars on her shoulder and does not wear a uniform. Yates is a career
diplomat who has served as U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Burundi. Her
appointment symbolizes the military's effort to make its newest
command very different from the others and a possible model for the
future.

Careful
how you pacify Mt Elgon
(27.11.2007) Deadly violence in the Mt Elgon region has by now
become old hat, and very few people besides the perpetrators and the
victims, seem to pay much attention to it any more.

Two more Serut relatives shot
dead (14.11.2007) Outgoing Mt Elgon MP John Serut has lost two relatives in the
unrelenting clan flare-ups in the district.
Five people, including Mr Serut’s brother and niece, were killed
in the area on Monday night by people said to have been trailing
them all day.
The attack comes after the killing of the father of controversial
local politician Fred Kapondi on Saturday.

Return of shamba system
(12.11.2007) After more than a decade in which farmers were barred
from cultivating inside Kenya’s forests, the Government has lifted
the ban on the shamba system, setting it on a collision course with
environmentalists.

Mau
forest at risk as evictees move back
(08.11.2007) Experts have warned of an environmental crisis
following the return of 10,500 evictees to Mau Forest. An NGO,
Friends of the Mau, said this would destroy the water catchment
and endanger the lives of thousands of people and wildlife.

Mt Elgon refugees now flee to
Nandi (08.11.2007) Refugees from the troubled Mt Elgon district have entered Nandi
region, the Government announced on Wednesday.
More than 140 people had fled to Nandi, about 100 kilometres from
their home, said Nandi North District Commissioner Mabeya Mogaka.

5,000 families flee battle zone (06.11.2007) More people continue to flee clash-hit Mt Elgon District for fear
of attacks by militia and harassment by police.
An estimated 5,000 families in Kapsokwony, Kaptama and Kopsiro
divisions have sought refuge in neighbouring Trans Nzoia, West
Pokot, Uasin-Gishu, Bungoma districts.

Three Beheaded in Militia Raid (29.10.2007)
Police officers on Sunday engaged militiamen in a gun battle after
three people were beheaded in the troubled Mt Elgon District.
An unknown number of suspected militiamen, armed with AK-47 rifles
and pangas, had invaded Kamneru area of Kapsokwony Division and
beheaded the three on Saturday night.

ECK to monitor polls in Mt Elgon (24.10.2007) Three Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) commissioners have
expressed concern over insecurity in Mt Elgon District ahead of
the General Election.

Mau
Forest evictees troop back
(20.10.2007) MORE than 10,000 people evicted from Mau Forest have
returned to their former homes, jeopardising a
multi-million-conservation project.

UN General Assembly backs indigenous peoples' rights (September 13, 2007) UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding declaration upholding the human, land and resources rights of the world's 370 million indigenous people, brushing off opposition from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
The vote in the assembly was 143 in favor and four against. Eleven countries, including Russia and Colombia, abstained.
The declaration, capping more than 20 years of debate at the United Nations, also recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination and sets global human rights standards for them.

Gripe of Ogieks Now Forced Into
'Modernity' (07.08.2007)
Honey and dogs are all an Ogiek man needs to get himself a wife.
Uncommon as it may look, the Ogiek have for years shunned the
conventional lifestyle and have stuck with customs and practices
that enable them blend with nature.

Displaced farmers pay for police escorts (02.08.2007) KENYA/NAIROBI (IRIN) - Ongoing clashes that have displaced more than 100,000 people in Mt Elgon District near the Kenya-Uganda border have disrupted farming and trading activities, sources said.

The fate of the Ogiek and other minorities on the 50 seats reserved for
women (02.08.2007) PRESS RELEASE - Ogiek Peoples Development Program (OPDP), Kesenta op Ogiek
- We due respect to women of Kenya, we wish to say that the 50 seats should be shared 25 for women and 25 for minorities or else specials seats be reserved for minorities like the OGIEK, ELMOLO, YIAKU, SENGWER, WAATA, BOONI, and
ENDOROIS.

OGIEK DECLARATION
- July 27, 2007 (27.07.2007) Ogiek declaration
- We, the undersigned Ogiek community leaders and representatives from Narok, Nakuru and Mt. Elgon do hereby make a declaration to protect the interests of Ogiek
people. Affirming that Ogiek people are indigenous people/ minority who are entitled to enjoy the basic human rights as contain in the constitution of Kenya and international legal instruments...

A
trend of ethnic clashes
(02.07.2007) The approach of the General Election brings back
memories of deaths and instability in Rift Valley Province.

Lobby appeals to Kibaki
(07.05.2007) The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has demanded that President Kibaki resolve the insecurity problem facing the country to stop any further bloodshed.

Terror gang kills 10 in Kitale
(05.05.2007) Masked gunmen in two vehicles landed in a Kitale market Thursday night and showered everyone in sight with
bullets.

Community demands district, constituency
(03.05.2007) Elders of a community in the North Rift Region have threatened to mobilise their kin to boycott the December General Election if the Government does not create a district and a constituency for them.

Ogiek Released on Kshs.10,000 cash Bail!
(30.04.2007) In a recent meeting held in Nessuit on Saturday, it was discovered that one of the leading Ogiek human rights crusader's, Alex Naishuru, was missing.

Pick Lands minister MPs urge President
(30.04.2007) Four Members of Parliament want President Kibaki to appoint a substantive minister for Lands to address disputes. The MPs allied to Narc-Kenya said the President’s failure to name a Lands minister had led to the increased cases of land disputes.

Police seal off forest in search of raiders
(28.04.2007) POLICE have sealed off Kimboroa forest along the Kenya-Uganda border in a bid to track down suspected raiders believed to have killed six people at Kinyoro trading centre in Trans Nzoia district.

Six killed by armed raiders
(25.04.2007) Six people have been killed in a district bordering clash-torn Mt Elgon zone.
Three of those killed were frogmarched to a road at Kinyoro trading centre in Trans Nzoia District with their hands tied and then shot dead.

Stop clashes, says US envoy
(22.04.2007) The United States Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has called for the end of ongoing clashes.
The ambassador said the clashes are not acceptable and should be ended.

Rescue Kenyans from these terror gangs
(21.04.2007) Like corruption, organised crime is a tumour that creeps into communities and once it takes root it is almost impossible to excise and do away with it.

Bishops censure Kibaki over insecurity
(21.04.2007) THE Government yesterday came under heavy criticism from the Catholic Church and a section of the political elite as giving cosmetic attention to the Mt Elgon killing fields and other clashes-hit regions in the country.

House team set to summon Michuki
(20.04.2007) The Parliamentary Committee on Administration and National Security is preparing summons for Internal Security minister Mr John Michuki over the Mt Elgon clashes.

Govt suspends land allocations in Mt Elgon
(20.04.2007) THE Government has with immediate effect suspended the controversial land allocations at the troubled Chepyuk settlement scheme in Mt Elgon district, in an effort to end land clashes.

Where is Ali
(20.04.2007) What has happened with Police Commissioner Hussein Ali’s regular security updates in the media.

Mt
Elgon: Refugee crisis a big shame
(19.04.2007) Up to 5,000 Kenyans have reportedly sought refuge in Uganda following the violence in Mt Elgon district. Authorities in eastern Uganda say the refugees are living in deplorable conditions.

NGO slams Govt over Mt Elgon mayhem
(18.04.2007) AS killings and other humanitarian crises continue to dog the battle-scarred Mt Elgon district, top officials of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Kenya Human Rights Network (KHRN), released a preliminary report yesterday after winding up a four-day fact-finding mission in the area.

Genesis of Mt Elgon crisis and Ndorobo factor
(17.04.2007) THE History in Chepyuk settlement scheme dates back to 1969-1971. Emia and Chepyuk locations, which occupy 94.4 sq. kilometres, were once a forest land before January 1971.

Stop the killings in Mt Elgon now
(17.04.2007) The senseless killings in Mt Elgon District have gone on for just too long. It’s a shame that leaflets are still being circulated by the criminal gangs behind the violence, targeting certain communities.

Lucy asks militia to surrender weapons
(17.04.2007) First Lady Lucy Kibaki yesterday visited the clash-hit Mt Elgon District and appealed to combatants to cease hostilities and surrender their weapons to authorities.

First Lady calls for end to Mt Elgon skirmishes
(17.04.2007) First Lady Lucy Kibaki has made a passionate appeal to combatants in Mt Elgon district to embrace peace. At the same time a cross-section of leaders have called for an aggressive approach by all parties concerned to end the killings.

APPEAL by the OGIEK
(16.04.2007) The Mt. Elgon Ogiek hiding as refugees in Chepkitale forest are calling upon their well-wishers to assist with food
donations, medical supplies and clothing...

Michuki ‘sleeping on the job’
(16.04.2007) An Anglican bishop has blamed the Internal Security Minister John Michuki for “sleeping” while Mount Elgon is on
fire.

Call for inquest into Mt Elgon killings
(16.04.2007) THE Kenya Human Rights Network (KHURINET) yesterday petitioned the Government to open an inquest into the death of 13 people allegedly shot dead by security personnel deployed in Mount Elgon district to curb land
clashes.

Let’s not pretend things are okay
(16.04.2007) Corruption, economic crimes, human rights violations and social injustices are pinnacle barriers to realisation of access to
justice, accountability, dignified livelihood and security.

Politician held over militia link
(15.04.2007) A politician alleged to have links with militiamen believed to be behind the violence in Mount Elgon has been arrested.
Mr Fred Kapondi Chesebe, who contested the Mt Elgon seat on a Ford People ticket in 2002, was yesterday moved from the Bungoma police cells, where he spent the night, to the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) offices for a two-hour
interrogation.

First Lady to visit clash-hit district
(14.04.2007) First Lady Lucy Kibaki will on Monday visit the troubled Mt Elgon
District, where independent reports say more than 140 people have been
killed.

Police arrest suspect over Mt Elgon clashes
(14.04.2007) A man has been arrested in Bungoma town on suspicion of fuelling the Mt Elgon killings.
Fred Kapondi was arrested yesterday by police detectives in Bungoma town at about 6 pm and placed in custody under tight security.

One more killed in Mt Elgon skirmishes
(14.04.2007) Raiders in Mt Elgon District killed one more person on Thursday night.Members of the Sabaoti Land Defense Force (SLDF) shot the victim Bera Chemorion, 24, dead at Chepkakai market in Kaimugur sub-location.

Three held over bishop’s killing
(13.04.2007) Police have arrested three people over the killing of a bishop in Mt Elgon on Monday.
Security officers raided Kibumet village in Kaimugul sub-location and seized the three from an illicit brew den.

PC suspends land allocation
(11.04.2007) The Government yesterday bowed to pressure from leaders in Mount Elgon to suspend allocation of land at Chebyuk settlement scheme as one more person was shot dead by raiders.

Clerics blame police for women’s arrest
(11.04.2007) Police in Mt Elgon have arrested 13 women for allegedly flouting orders.
They were allegedly arrested while carrying sacks of vegetables at Kipsigon and detained at the Kipsigon Police Post.

Pastor killed as raiders strike in Mt Elgon
(11.04.2007) Suspected Sabaot Land Defence Force militiamen shot dead a pastor and critically wounded a relative of the area MP, in another day of bloodletting in Mt Elgon
District.

Mt Elgon violence a reflection of our collective amnesia
(11.04.2007) Kenyans, hate being told the truth about themselves. This attitude has plunged us into a deep ocean of lies and
hatred. This has led to a serious governance deficit leading to death and great suffering of the
underprivileged.

Mt Elgon exposed our soft underbelly
(11.04.2007) ON the first anniversary of the Marsabit plane crash that killed 14 people among them six
legislators, the government raised the tempo of the memorial, ferrying senior officials to Northern Kenya where the tragedy
occurred, even as a new conflict threatens the residents of western
Kenya.

18 MPs on peace mission to Mt Elgon
(11.04.2007) EIGHTEEN MPs will visit troubled Mt Elgon District next Tuesday to explore ways of reconciling warring factions to end land clashes that have left over 140 people dead and many others
injured.

Mt Elgon: Michuki responds to critics
(10.04.2007) THE government yesterday defended its handling of Mt Elgon violence and disclosed that 280 people have so far been arrested while police were pursuing 80 others.

End the national shame that is Mt Elgon clashes
(10.04.2007) Mount Elgon district is an administrative unit in Western Province. Its headquarters are in Kapsokwony town. The district is located on the South East slopes of mount Elgon with a population of about 135,000 people in an area of 944 square kilometer.

SLDF militia a force to reckon with
(10.04.2007) Perched on top of a tree, concealed by the thick foliage, a boy blurts out something only he can understand, with his palms around the mouth. It is hard to tell he is speaking into some gadget. That done, he slithers down the Podo tree. Mission accomplished.

Warriors held in troubled zone
(10.04.2007) More than 280 warriors have been arrested in clashes-hit Mt Elgon District, the Government has announced as it moved to rein in the militia.

End the slaughter
- TOP CLERGY DEMAND GOVERNMENT ACTION
(09.04.2007) A COMMON theme yesterday dominated the pulpits as Kenyans marked Easter.
The call was to the government to immediately put to an end, blood-letting in Mt Elgon.
The clergy led by Archbishops Ndingi Mwana a Nzeki and Zaccheaus Okoth (Catholic) and Benjamin Nzimbi (Anglican Church of Kenya) and Samsom Mwangi Gaitho (African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa ) made the demand with their target being Internal Security Minister John Michuki.

Uprooted Ogiek ask for alternative land
(09.04.2007) More than 4000 members of the Ogiek community displaced from public forests in the North Rift have asked the Government to allocate them alternative land.

Violence erupted after two clans were given land
(09.04.2007) An acute famine in 1971 ravaged huge swathes of Kenya. Among those most devastated were the Ndorobo clan of the Sabaot community who live near Mt Elgon.
“Women used to walk around with baskets to beg,” recalls Mr Ben Taboi.
“That’s when the Government had pity on us and settled us in Chebyuk where we could farm like other Kenyans.”

Families on the verge on despair as agency appeals for relief food
(09.04.2007) Black smoke curls lazily across the clear blue skies, before thinning out to nothingness.
These are the initial hints of a settlement in Kaboiywa village, on the shoulder of the impenetrable rain forests that ring Mount Elgon on the Kenya-Uganda
border.

Mt Elgon violence getting out of hand
(09.04.2007) Fresh information about the cause and impact of the serial violence in Mt Elgon district demonstrates that the problem runs deep and that political jest and chest-thumping will not resolve the matter.

It’s back to the forest for Ogiek
(09.04.2007) Before they were persuaded to leave the forest for a more ‘decent’ life, the Ogiek lived comfortably in caves. After three decades of elusive settling in Chebyuk Settlement Scheme in Mt Elgon District, they have been forced to retreat to their original dwellings.

Deadly militiamen: The untold story
(09.04.2007) The armed militia that is behind the unending terror in Mt Elgon district is well-organised and always ready to kill and
maim.

End killings in Mt Elgon, NCCK boss tells Kibaki
(08.04.2007) In the wake of land clashes that have hit Mt Elgon region claiming scores of lives and destruction of property, the outgoing National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) Secretary General Mutava Musyimi now wants President Mwai Kibaki to take a personal initiative to stop the mayhem.

Tension high as clash victims buried
(08.04.2007) Emotions ran high during the burial of some of the victims of the Mt Elgon clashes.
The burial of the six victims killed at Kapsokwony on Sunday was conducted on Saturday against a background of outrage and fear.

Suspected ‘warlord’ now defends his activities
(08.04.2007) A man said to be the "warlord" behind the clashes in Mt Elgon region, has come out to clear his name.Mr Fred Kapondi Chesebe, who was mentioned by Mt Elgon Member of Parliament, Mr John Serut, as the warlord fanning clashes is pleading innocence.

Violence broadening to regional conflict
(07.04.23007) The Mount Elgon clashes which have so far claimed more than 140 lives are slowly broadening to a regional conflict.
The Sebei community from Uganda who are historically and culturally associated with the Sabaot of Kenya, are claimed to be participating in the conflict.

It’s dog’s life for villagers after raid
(07.04.2007) "Hakuna namna” (there is no way), a middle aged woman wails, pulling her hair while writhing on the debris of what was left of her house and business
premises.

Sh211 million appeal for the homeless
(05.04.2007) A Sh211 million appeal fund has been launched for victims of violence in Mt Elgon region.
The Kenya Red Cross appeal covers the next six months, during which the cash would be used to help 62,000 people displaced by the fighting over land since last December. (See chart inset for appeal bank accounts.)

700 threaten to boycott work
(05.04.2007) More than 700 civil servants have threatened to move out of Mt Elgon District due to insecurity.
The Government employees said yesterday that they cannot stay in an area in which killings was the order of the day.
On Sunday, six people including a teacher, were killed in Kapsokwony, the district headquarters of the area, after more than 100 gangsters invaded the town.

Muslim leaders demand statement
(05.04.2007) Muslim leaders Wednesday demanded a government statement on the violence in Mt Elgon area.
The secretary-general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, Sheikh Mohamed Dor, said in Mombasa that Muslims believed the Government was not keen to end the killings.

It’s blame game as death toll climbs
(05.04.2007) Politicians Wednesday pointed an accusing finger at each other even as the death toll in Mt Elgon land feuds soared past 140.
Expressing outrage at the killings, MPs asked the Government to stop the violence. All resources, including the police and the military, the MPs said, should be deployed to the troubled area.

Bitter exchange in Parliament over Mt Elgon
(05.04.2007) TEMPERS flared in Parliament yesterday as MPs traded accusations over the escalating violence in Mt Elgon that has so far claimed over 100 lives and displaced thousands of residents.

Report links minister to Mt Elgon land clashes
(05.04.2007) FOLLOWING an outrage over what has come to be described as the killing fields of Mt Elgon, a Government report on land clashes in the area released yesterday by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua names politicians, among them assistant minister for Planning John Serut, as likely perpetrators of the raging skirmishes.

LEAVE THE FOREST AND ITS FOREST PEOPLE IN PEACE!
(04.04.2007) Trying to correct mistakes and incapability with another big mistake is not only ridiculous - it is the most disastrous way to solve the problems !
- Forest to be hived off to settle landless families - - As the clashes in Mount Elgon intensify, the Government now says it will de-gazette part of Mount Elgon Forest to settle landless families.

Shops burnt in troubled zone
(04.04.2007) Four shops were burnt Tuesday at Makutano trading centre in Mt Elgon District, only a day after six people were killed by a militia group.
The shops, located less than a kilometre from Kopsiro DO’s office, were razed at 12.30am.

MPs propose measures to end fighting
(04.04.2007) A ceasefire of rival forces and amnesty of militias are some of the measures Rift Valley MPs want the Government to adopt to end the fighting in the Mt Elgon.
The 13 MPs also want members of the provincial administration, police and lands department removed from the area.

Four schools closed early as tension rises
(04.04.2007) At least four schools were closed Tuesday due to heightened tension in clashes-torn Mt Elgon District.
The schools are in Kapsokwony Town where six people, including a school teacher, were killed in fresh violence on Monday night.

Six killed as raiders seize security chiefs
(03.04.2007) Armed gangsters held a DC and the entire district security team hostage for two hours as their colleagues went on a killing
spree, which left six people dead in the trouble-hit Mt Elgon area.

Rival clans spill blood over land dispute
(03.04.2007) Land clashes in Mt Elgon District have been boiling since early last year when the Government allocated people land at the Chebyuk Settlement
Scheme. A total of 1732 plots measuring two and half acres each were allocated to 1000 families though more than 7000 applied for land.

State to blame for violence in Mt Elgon
(03.04.2007) For months, the Government has been promising tough action to deal with the violence in Mt Elgon District. It is obvious now that Government’s interventions have not worked.

End Mt Elgon clashes, minister told
(02.04.2007) An Assistant minister is blaming Internal Security minister, Mr John Michuki, for the incessant land clashes in Mt Elgon region.
Mt Elgon MP, Mr John Serut, said Michuki had failed to take the lead in ending the flare-ups, which have left several people dead and houses burnt.

Ogiek Indigenous Peoples of Chepkitale Forest in Mount Elgon Cry for Your
Help!(23.03.2007) The situation of Ogiek Indigenous Peoples who are the current victims of land clashes is getting worse. The death toll is increasing. The number of the dead has risen to over 20 after a pregnant woman died yesterday after failing to get medical attention. The body of the deceased has been taken to Kitale mortury. The Sabaot Land Defence Force have continued to burnt houses and property of the Ogiek Indigenous Peoples. The Ogiek houses in Tingwalia, Cheptoror, Kopukwo, Kewapkoi, Kebe, Kapsongom and Simotwet villages have been burnt.

Good news from Kenya
(20.03.2007) The Government of Kenya has entered into a loan
agreement with the World Bank and therein recognizes that the
Sengwer and the Ogiek are Indigenous Peoples. I the document, it
actually undertakes to rehabilitate previously displaced forest
communities. This is a binding agreement that will be useful if
the two communities use it to pressure the Government to restore
land rights...

Mt. Elgon Skirmishes News Update!
(20.03.2007) As the land skirmishes continues, information reaching our offices from yesterday (March 18th) five people are been reported to have been killed.
It's believed that the acting DC Mr. Otieno and the Western PC Mr. Abdalla Masera are telling the world that the insecurity has been contained hence residents are urged to return to their homes. This has been the usual tune, which has caused people to return hence killed like the five as believed. The refugees should not be forced to return to the battle field.

SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL writes to Praesident Kibaki
(14. March 2007) Your Excellency, Survival International is extremely concerned to learn of the escalating violence in the Mt Elgon District of Kenya and the devastating impact this is having on the Ogiek people.

Mt. Elgon residents in Kenya cry for Justice and
Human Rights
(07.03.2007) OGIEK ARE BEING KILLED IN MT. ELGON AS PRESIDENT EMILIO KIBAKI OF KENYA REMAINS IN STATEHOUSE, NAIROBI
- It's believed that the more than 100 people have died in the last eight months (from July last 2006), 50% are from the minority and hunter gatherer Ogiek community. The recent dead of six people last week, five were from the Ndorobo clan (Ogiek) as reported from the local media quoting the area Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD of Mt. Elgon), Mr. David
Makokha.

Displaced Ogieks Ask to Be Resettled
(06.02.2007) More than 4,000 displaced members of the Ogiek community want the Government to give them alternative land.
They were evicted from public forests in the North Rift two years
ago.

WHO WILL CRY FOR THE PEOPLE OF
LAMU?
(15.01.2007) Lamu is one of the oldest human settlements in the
world. Founded in the 13th Century, Lamu has grown through an interaction of diverse
races, tribes and cultures.